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Messages - »Rafe«6º

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General Storage Auction Talk / Next time I'm taking my Civic.
« on: August 03, 2011, 07:27:37 PM »
On Friday last I drove my pickup and trailer around town to see a bunch of crap sold at 4 or 5 times what it should have. Most of the places around here allow until 5PM the next day to clean out your locker so I'll be saving gas but more importantly parking headaches. I talked to one of the property managers about 1/2 hr before the auction began and she told me that she had gotten 3 times as many calls this month about the auction than last month and it already looked like there would be 2 or 3 times as many people registering for the sale.


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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: first auction need advice please
« on: July 28, 2011, 10:15:14 PM »
Quote from: terrorbow on July 28, 2011, 09:22:03 PM
i really do appreciate the advice movieman. i will give it my best shot this weekend. just hope i can... how do you say... get lucky. i been on these forums searching every post and every little thing i can find for the past 6 hours trying to learn more from everyones success and mistakes. thanks again for your advice.
ll
You don't "get lucky." You buy depending on what you see and then sell it at fair price, odds of getting that "retirement unit:"     1:10,000,000

TV lies in that the proportionate number of lockers that "PAY OFF BIG"  are closer to 1:10:000 to those that break even in the real world.


Storage wars "PAY OFF BIG":"BREAK EVEN"  seem to me to be 20:1. "PAY OFF BIG": "BREAK EVEN": "LOOSE MONEY" 100:5:1

You do the real world math vs. TV math for yourself.

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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: What to do Office Furniture?
« on: July 28, 2011, 09:41:20 PM »
Quote from: Wayne on July 28, 2011, 01:29:35 AM
LaWaughn,

I hope I am wrong but I just wanted to bring this to your attention. I would hate to have you sell them something their not getting. The last thing you need is to get a buyers attorney on your case.

I have some contacts in the furniture business in my day job and I am somewhat familiar with the construction. I would highly recommend that you look this furniture over VERY GOOD. Unless you have purchased from a manufacture that went out of business and you were able to see some raw goods, you could possible have MDF with a veneer on it. Look very carefully for end grain on the wood. The drawer fronts may be real wood. The side panels of the drawer pedestals should have end grain. Also, the inside of the peds should be wood grain and the underside of the top should have matching glue up lines as the top. 

If I am out of line, I apologize.

Wayne
Very good advice. I ASSuMEd that you knew what you had but as an obviously impulse bidder from OP I would say cover your bases all around.

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Storage Auctioneers / Re: What are an auctioneer's responsibilities?
« on: July 27, 2011, 06:03:58 PM »
Quote from: ChefJ on July 27, 2011, 05:35:04 PM
IMHO the auctioneer is simply the middleman.  He is there to ensure a fair auction for the buyers and sellers.  That said, I would assume that the liability is on each person bidding.  If you want to spend 5k on some sunglasses and a TV so be it.  That could be my libertarian political philosophy speaking though.

I agree 100% but as we know there is that segment of people out there who feel the need to protect people from their personal decisions. What happens when they decide auctions need fair value regulation? Scary thought.

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Storage Auctioneers / What are an auctioneer's responsibilities?
« on: July 27, 2011, 05:26:51 PM »
Quote from: Warren Schreiber on Sun Jun 05, 2011 Auctionzip forums
I have not seen a unit in the last six months that I would want to buy at anywhere close to the prices realized!!!
This is from an auctioneer in Mass.  I'm sure that he likes the commissions he's getting since the shows came out but he knows that people are over bidding (rolling the dice) on most of the lkrs he is selling.

Food for thought: It is generally assumed that an auctioneer's job is to get the highest sale price he can for the seller. Does there come a point that the auctioneer has a duty to the buyer when something is being sold way above value? Does this fall under full disclosure laws? Morality?

Buyer beware is my opinion. For better or worse the TV shows have brought the industry to the public light and we will be seeing changes in private lien auction laws across the country.

These are just hypothetical questions but interesting for me to ponder.  8)
auctionzip.com/azforum/viewtopic.php?p=17158#p17158

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Reality Shows about Storage Auctions / Re: Auction Hunters....Summer, 2011....Starts
« on: July 27, 2011, 01:26:14 AM »
Quote from: monkeybusiness on July 26, 2011, 10:15:31 PM
I'm surprised they don't market a special rabbits foot that they take to all the auctions.Yours for only $19.99.

Great idea Monkey, I will be marketing this 4'X8' sign in the coming months....



DIRECTIONS: Arrive early and wait for auctioneer to enter facility. Post your sign near the entrance and enjoy a nice quiet day of bidding.



Disclaimer: The use of this product may result in civil law suit and/or jail time.

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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: What to do Office Furniture?
« on: July 26, 2011, 06:26:08 PM »
LaWaughn I was just thinking about some ways I might sell off high quantities of cherry-wood desks and realized that I have a friend in the custom cabinet business that might like a couple for more high end jobs. Maybe try calling some custom counter top shops or cabinet  businesses. They would have the means to pick them up too. Realize though that they are buying for the stock wood and not the table so prices would be lower but a nice way to get rid of your remaining stock once you sell all you can at the best price you can sell at.

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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: What to do Office Furniture?
« on: July 26, 2011, 05:47:20 PM »
I like the top 5 Ps MM but I did mean the 6 that I put, I just highlighted the 'p' in P...-poor too.

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General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Multi Unit Owner Up on Block
« on: July 26, 2011, 04:48:06 PM »
Step Dad called, he can't make it, lost my CDL driver. I'll not be bidding on any big lockers on Thurs. but Fri. has 2 caravans overlapping each other, maybe a nice furniture lot will be found right here in town.

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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: What to do Office Furniture?
« on: July 26, 2011, 04:13:45 PM »
P.P.P.P.P.P.
Quote from: Movieman on July 26, 2011, 03:36:10 PM
You don't mention what you might want to sell them for, or what you bought them for. If you bought them cheap enough you should be able to build in some delivery expense.  If the company(s) buying them are getting them for themselves, they won't be as concerned as a reseller would be.

Like MM I have no idea what your expenditures have been or profit margin is.  You might bite the bullet and go to a temp agency. Most will allow you to hire through them with an 8 hour day prepaid as general labor, no business license required. Maybe the local place that the work a day people hang out on the corner soliciting work is OK too. Explain that its HEAVY lifting. Rent a flat bed truck with a lift gate that has minimum 4'x7.5' gate. Buy furniture dollies and get to moving your product.
If you're willing to bust your butt then you should only need one helper. I think that 4 people moving this quantity of and weight of furniture is better but then you're paying for more man hours during windshield time.(There are ways for you to move this stuff by yourself but you need the popper equipment and know how.)

Scheduling your drop offs is another concern when spending this kind of money for delivery but is way cheaper than hiring a moving company.

Another option if look in your local want ad paper for ads stating that handy man Joe has his own moving truck and will help you move. Hire him.

Once again P.P.P.P.P.P. never buy something just for the value, if you don't have a plan of attack you'll end up losing period.

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General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Jewelery?
« on: July 25, 2011, 11:30:13 PM »
Being recently laid off and not sure when I'll go back to work I'm looking at this from a business standpoint so am collecting all the ideas and info I can for outlets.

To get the best return I think something like this might get the highest sell price. Its just a matter of whether or not you have the time and means to set it up with a trusted partner or two. I would make one dedicated room for the baubles and keep a person at the door with a cash register.

'You pay for it before leaving the room bub.'

Other than that consignment for the really nice stuff. This company wants to keep it for 6 months but only charge 10% fee if it sells.[/url]

Maybe a local auction house if you don't mid the higher fees and risking a low ball sale price if they don't offer a reserve option. I personally would not sell without a reserve price but some auction services refuse to set them.

Just a note: For bigger diamonds/stones a GIA report with an appraisal goes a long way to getting the best price but then you're looking at some fees. Neither of these services offers appraisals, only certification of quality. However UGL does offer trusted third party appraisals by UGS.

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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: I have a thrift store in sa texas
« on: July 25, 2011, 10:20:33 PM »
Gregs list some popular items and mention your thrift store as the viewing place right in the posting, include operating hours too. As Movieman says block the email and only include your phone number (and address in your case) to avoid the spamalots.
Hit as many different categories as you can with the appropriate items for the heading so self appointed moderators don't start flagging your posts.


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General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Multi Unit Owner Up on Block
« on: July 25, 2011, 04:43:39 PM »
Thanks Eagle.

I'll just bid on everything as individual lockers and not worry about 'protecting' my interest in the entire 3 units should I get one of them. I am kind of worried about someone getting a needed piece and then demanding 3xs value for it. Of course that works both ways, I can always just make a fair offer to sell them my piece to complete their purchase and watch the reaction.

Will do Monkey, thank you.

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General Storage Auction Talk / Multi Unit Owner Up on Block
« on: July 25, 2011, 01:40:50 PM »
An out of town storage facility (45 minutes one-way) has 16 units coming up for bid on the 28th. Three of those are owned by the same person all listed as household goods. Research shows a 3 bdrm house repo late last year.

If the first unit looks good I'll bid on it of course. My main question is how important do ya all think getting the sister units is?

Assuming worst case that I got all 3 and need to empty them all in 24 hrs I have access to a double trailer semi for cost of fuel +$100 for a couple of days (cousin's) and a F250 with lift gate that I can get the day after the auction. I also have a small steel building to put the effects in so neither transport or storage would be a major problem nor expense. Labor is my shortfall at the moment as I only have 2 women (my old lady and her friend) and the truck driver (step dad with CDL) to help me but the local work a day in the town I would need help in cost 12 bux an hour per head.

 

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